Enzo Maresca 'to leave Man City before Rodri' as 'fall-out' suggested

Rodri's relationship with new Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca may be pushing him towards Real Madrid this summer.

That is the opinion of former Everton, Aston Villa and Tottenham scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.

The 30-year-old has just one year remaining on his deal at the Etihad Stadium and is reportedly keen on a move to the Spanish giants.

Negotiations are ongoing, with Man City hoping to hold out for a fee in the region of £45million for the World Cup's player of the tournament.

Rodri's exit will be a blow for Maresca, who is facing the task of following an incredibly successful decade led by Pep Guardiola this summer.

Man City have already signed Elliot Anderson in a £116m deal this summer, and negotiations are stepping up over a deal for breakout World Cup star Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Rodri and Enzo Maresca 'could fall out'

There are few arguments about Rodri's status among the best midfielders in world football, despite his recent injuries.

The Spaniard has now undergone a minor operation on his back, but is not expected to face a long term absence. He may well not be a Man City player by the time he does return, however.

"Why really would you sell Rodri at this stage of his career? You know, different things are happening. Pep has gone," King told Football Insider.

"Maresca has come in. You don't know what the relationship is or could be with a change of manager. Maybe he doesn't agree with what the new manager does and the manager could see him being used in another way.

"There are things where they could fall out, but this moment in time, I can't see Man City even thinking about getting rid of him. I think the manager could go quicker than he could if things don't go well."

How would Man City cope without Rodri?

Rodri's quality can be simply defined by his impact on Man City. The 30-year-old joined in 2019 and struggled in his opening season as Liverpool won the Premier League.

But once adapted to English football, the Citizens would dominate and win the next four league titles with the midfielder an ever-present in the team, adding FA Cups, Carabao Cups and the Champions League along the way.

The Ballon d'Or he received in 2024 said enough about just how imperious he had been. Only after his ACL injury in 2024 did Man City stop dominating the Premier League.

Without Rodri and without Guardiola, Man City may be in for an extremely rare period of struggle.'s